Padded shoe

ABSTRACT

A padded shoe includes a shoe upper which is adjoined to a sole. The shoe upper and the sole can have padding material disposed therein. The shoe upper includes a padded tongue, which can have an inner tongue portion and an outer tongue portion. A fastening structure, which can be tightenable to maintain the shoe on the foot of the wearer, can be disposed between the inner and outer tongue portions. Alternatively, a resilient portion can be connected to the shoe upper, whereby a portion of the shoe upper can be outwardly distended to allow insertion of the foot of the wearer. The shoe can include an engagement structure to secure the outer tongue portion to at least one of the inner tongue portion and the shoe upper.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/593,256 filed Jun. 13, 2000, which claims the benefit of U.S.Patent Provisional Application No. 60/165,548, filed on Nov. 15, 1999.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] (Not Applicable)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to footwear, and more particularlyto a shoe designed for use in athletic activities.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] The foot can be subjected to stresses during athletic activities.Existing athletic shoes, such as those disclosed by Thais et al., U.S.Pat. No. 4,547,981, Richardson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,960, Onitsuka, U.S.Pat. No. Re. 27,512, and Mitsui, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,568, are primarilyconstructed to provide support for the instep and ankles of the wearerwhile running or jumping. In addition to running and jumping, somesports and fitness activities require the participant to engage inkicking maneuvers, such as martial arts and soccer. The top, sides,sole, and heel of the feet can sustain severe blows during suchactivities. Additionally, kicks can be landed against another personduring certain activities, either inadvertently or, in the case of themartial arts, while sparring. There is a possibility that the impact ofknotted shoe laces or other shoe fastening structure can injure theparticipants during athletic activities such as sparring. It istherefore desirable to provide a shoe which protects from such injuriesduring activities such as martial arts, kick boxing, and soccer.

[0007] Prior art shoes adapted to prevent injury from kicking aregenerally those designed specifically for use in the martial arts. Suchshoes are known to have significant limitations. For example, such shoesgenerally do not have a shoe lacing arrangement. As a lacing arrangementoften provides the greatest degree of support for the ankle of thewearer, prior art martial arts shoes generally do not have the anklesupport that is found in many athletic shoes. In addition, conventionalmartial arts shoes are generally not suitable for street wear.

[0008] Another limitation of conventional shoes for use in activitiesinvolving kicking, such as soccer, kick boxing, and martial arts,involves the padding used throughout the shoe. For example, martial artsshoes disclosed in Oh et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,609, Frederickson etal., U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,715, Wren, Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No.4,361,970, and Rhee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,722 disclose foot protectorswhich are little more than foam pads strapped to the foot.

[0009] Andujar, U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,672 (Andujar), discloses aprotective shoe for use in contact sports such as martial arts. InAndujar, the shoe upper is constructed of foam, and includes additionalprotective pads on its ankle and top portions. The shoe is secured by asingle elastic strap held in place by Velcro® fasteners. This fasteningsystem would not provide a significant amount of support to the anklesof the wearer, and could easily slip and become displaced, causing thewearer to become unbalanced. Collins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,613, similarlydiscloses a padded boot for use in the martial arts. This shoe is alsosecured by a single elastic strap with Velcro® fasteners.

[0010] Rhee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,493, discloses a protective shoeconstructed of energy absorbing resilient material and a substantiallyopen bottom. The open bottom allows the foot of the wearer to contactthe floor or the ground. The shoe designed by Rhee is for use only in agym or sparring ring, and is obviously unsuitable for everyday wear.

[0011] Bottoms, U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,015, discloses a karate andkickboxing protective boot which has an open back and a detachable heelprotector portion. This boot is designed strictly for use in a sparringring.

[0012] Ward, U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,928, discloses a slip-on type shoe foruse in the martial arts. This shoe is constructed of a lightly paddedmaterial. Ward does not disclose the use of heavy padding positioned onthe foot so as to absorb the impact of a kick against a kicking bag oropponent.

[0013] It would be advantageous to provide a shoe which is adapted foractivities involving kicking that can protect a wearer of the shoeand/or a partner from injury, while also providing ankle support to thewearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A padded shoe, according to an embodiment of the invention,includes a shoe upper which is adjoined to a sole. The shoe upperincludes padding material disposed therein, which can be closed-cellfoam padding. The sole of the shoe can have a smooth lower surface or atextured lower surface, and can also include a plurality of grippingprotrusions. The shoe upper includes a padded tongue having an innertongue portion and an outer tongue portion. The inner and outer tongueportions can each have a lower end attached to the shoe upper and a freeupper end. A fastening structure, which is tightenable to maintain theshoe on the foot of the wearer is disposed between the inner and outertongue portions. The shoe includes an engagement structure to secure theouter tongue portion to at least one of the inner tongue portion and theshoe upper. When a wearer of the padded shoe strikes a target with thepadded tongue, the target and/or the wearer are protected from directimpact with the fastening structure.

[0015] The padding within the shoe upper can be positioned within theshoe upper to generally correspond to at least one of the followinglocations on the foot of the wearer: the forward dorsal region, theinstep, the posterior aspect of the heel, the left and right forwardlateral aspects of the foot, and the ankle portion. At least a portionof the perimeter of the shoe can be chamfered to provide a smootharcuate edge. The sole can be formed at least partially from creperubber.

[0016] The fastening structure can include a lace threaded throughoppositely disposed eyelets. The engagement structure can include matedsnaps or mated portions of hook and loop fastening material. The shoeupper can extend at least to the ankle of the wear, and the paddedtongue can extend above the shoe upper.

[0017] A second embodiment of the shoe, according to the invention, caninclude a shoe upper which is adjoined to a sole. The shoe upperincludes padding disposed therein, which can be closed-cell foampadding. The shoe upper can include a padded tongue having side edges,and one or more resilient portions. The resilient portions can have afirst edge adjoined to the side edges of the padded tongue and a secondedge adjoined to the shoe upper. The resilient portions allow a portionof the shoe upper to be outwardly distended to allow the insertion ofthe foot of the wearer. The foam padding can be positioned within theshoe upper to generally correspond to at least one of the followinglocations on the foot of the wearer: the forward dorsal region, theinstep, the lateral and posterior aspects of the heel, the left andright forward lateral aspects of the foot, and the ankle portion. Thesole can have a smooth or a textured lower surface, and can include aplurality of gripping protrusions. At least a portion of the perimeterof the sole can be chamfered. The sole can be formed at least partiallyfrom crepe rubber.

[0018] A third embodiment of the shoe includes a shoe upper adjoined toa sole. The shoe upper includes padding material therein, which can beclosed-cell foam padding The shoe can include a padded tongue having afirst end attached to the shoe upper and a second free end. The sole ofthe shoe can have a smooth lower surface or a textured lower surface,and can also include a plurality of gripping protrusions. In addition,the sole can be formed at least partially from crepe rubber. The paddingmaterial can be positioned within the shoe upper to generally correspondto at least one of the following locations on the foot of the wearer:the forward dorsal region, the instep, the lateral and posterior aspectsof the heel, the left and right forward lateral aspects of the foot, andthe ankle portion.

[0019] The shoe can further include a shin guard detachably connected tothe padded tongue. The shin guard preferably has a convex front surfaceand a concave rear surface, and extends upwardly from the shoe to be incontact with the shin of the wearer. The shin guard can be configured toclosely engage with the shin of the wearer. The shoe can further includeat least one strap connected to the elongate member to secure the shinguard to the lower leg of the wearer. The strap can include a fasteningstructure. The shoe can include an engagement structure to secure theelongate member to the padded tongue. The shin guard can compriseportions of hook and loop fastening material, or mated snaps. The shinguard can include padding disposed therein. The front surface of theelongate member can include a recess approximately the same width of thestrap which is adapted to receive the strap when the shin guard issecured to the lower leg of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] There are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presentlypreferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is notlimited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown,wherein:

[0021]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a padded shoe according to anembodiment of the invention.

[0022]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the padded shoe in FIG. 1taken along line 2-2.

[0023]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the padded shoe in FIG. 1taken along line 3-3.

[0024]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the padded shoe illustrated inFIG. 1 with the outer tongue portion shown in an outwardly extendedposition.

[0025]FIG. 5a is a bottom plan view of the padded shoe of FIG. 1 inwhich the lower surface of the sole is smooth.

[0026]FIG. 5b is a bottom plan view of the padded shoe of FIG. 1 inwhich the lower surface of the sole is textured.

[0027]FIG. 5c is a bottom plan view of the padded shoe of FIG. 1 inwhich the lower surface of the sole includes a plurality of grippingprotrusions.

[0028]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a padded shoe according to asecond embodiment of the invention.

[0029]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the padded shoe in FIG. 6.

[0030]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the padded shoe in FIG. 6taken along line 8-8.

[0031]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the padded shoe in FIG. 6taken along line 9-9.

[0032]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a padded shoe according to athird embodiment of the invention.

[0033]FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the padded shoe inFIG. 10 taken along line 11-11.

[0034]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the padded shoe in FIG. 10 withthe shin guard shown detached from the tongue.

[0035]FIG. 13 is a detailed view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10showing the use of mated snaps to secure the shin guard to the tongue.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] A shoe 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention isillustrated in FIG. 1. The shoe 10 is preferably formed of materialswhich are light in weight yet still strong and durable. The shoe 10includes a shoe upper 12 adjoined to a sole 14. The shoe upper 12 can bemanufactured from any conventional material such as leather, syntheticleather, or canvas. The shoe upper 12 preferably extends at least to theankle of the wearer, however, the invention is not limited in thatregard. For example, the shoe upper 12 can extend significantly beyondthe ankle of the wearer to cover all or a portion of the skin, or notextend to the ankle of the wearer. The upper edge 25 of the shoe upper12 preferably forms a collar into which a foot can be inserted.

[0037] A portion of the edge of sole 14 can be chamfered to provide acontinuous arcuate edge at the point where the sole 14 is joined to theshoe upper 12. It is particularly preferable to have chamfered edges atthe front toe and rear heel portions of the shoe 10.

[0038] The sole 14 can be attached to the shoe upper 12 by any meansknown in the art, such as gluing, stitching, or heat sealing. The shoeupper 10 preferably includes a padded tongue 18, to be discussed indetail hereinafter.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shoe upper 12 can include anysuitable padding material 22 disposed therein. For example, the paddingmaterial 22 can be foam rubber, cotton, open-cell foam or closed-cellfoam. The padding material 22 preferably has a high degree of resiliencyand excellent shock absorption properties. In a particularly preferredembodiment, the padding material 22 is closed-cell chemicallycross-linked polyethylene foam, such as the Minicell® productsmanufactured by the Voltek Division of the Sekisui America Corporation.Although not limited in this regard, closed-cell foam padded suitablefor use in the shoe 10 can have a density of between approximately 1.5and 3.5 pcf, a compression strength of between approximately 6 and 22psi at approximately 25% deflection and between approximately 12 and 34psi at approximately 50% deflection, and a tensile strength of between30 and 120 psi.

[0040] The padding material 22 can be located throughout the shoe upper12. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the padding material 22 hasan increased thickness on those points of the shoe upper 12 which coverportions of the foot that are more likely to be injured during athleticactivities involving kicking, such as kick boxing, martial arts, andsoccer. For example, the padding material 22 can have an increasedthickness at the portion of the shoe upper 12 that covers the forwarddorsal region of the foot, the instep of the foot, the posterior aspectof the heel, the left and right forward lateral aspects of the foot, orthe ankle portion. The ankle portion can be defined as the area whichgenerally surrounds the medial malleoulus and the lateral malleous andthe area therebetween. The padding material 22 can have any suitablethickness, but preferably has a thickness of between approximately 0.125and 1.0 inches throughout the shoe 10, and most preferably has athickness of between 0.25 and 0.5 inches.

[0041] As can be seen in FIGS. 2-4, the padded tongue 18 preferablyincludes an inner tongue portion 15 and an outer tongue portion 16. Theinner and outer tongue portions 15, 16 include front surfaces 15 a, 15 band back surfaces 16 a, 16 b. As shown in FIG. 3, both the inner andouter tongue portions 15, 16 preferably have padding material 22. In aparticularly preferred embodiment, the outer tongue portion 16 has agreater amount of padding material 22 than the inner tongue portion 15.Either the inner tongue portion 15 or the outer tongue portion 16, orboth, can extend above the upper edges 25 of shoe upper 12. Extendingthe inner tongue portion 15 or the outer tongue portion 16 above theshoe upper 12 can advantageously provide protective padding for thelower leg of the wearer.

[0042]FIG. 4 illustrates the outer tongue portion 1 6 in an outwardlyextended position. It can be seen that the shoe upper 12 includesoppositely disposed free edges 34. The free edges 34 are positionedbetween the inner and outer portions 15, 16 of the padded tongue 18.

[0043] Any suitable fastening structure can be utilized that will securethe shoe 10 to the foot of the wearer, such as Velcro®. The shoe 10preferably includes a fastening structure that can be selectivelytightenable to maintain the shoe on the wearer's foot. The fasteningstructure can interconnect the free edges 34 to secure the shoe 10 tothe foot of the wearer. The fastening structure is preferably positionedbetween the inner and outer portions 15, 16 of tongue 18. The fasteningstructure can include a conventional lacing area 30 having a row ofeyelets 32 located on each of the oppositely disposed edge portions 34of the shoe upper 12. A lace 36 can be inserted through the eyelets 32.

[0044] The shoe 10 preferably includes an engagement structure to securethe outer tongue portion 16 to the inner tongue portion 15 and/or theshoe upper 12. The engagement structure can be formed of syntheticmaterial portions 51, 52 which adhere when pressed together, such asVelcro®. The material portions are preferably affixed to the backsurface 16 b of outer tongue 16 and at least one of the front surface 15a of inner tongue portion 15 and the area proximate to the opposingedges 34 of the shoe upper 12. In the illustrated embodiment, fasteningmaterial portion 51 is attached to the periphery of the back surface 16b of outer tongue 16, although the invention is not limited in thatregard. The fastening material portions 52 are attached to the shoeupper 12 proximate to the opposing edges 34 and on the front surface 15a of inner tongue portion 15 so as to be in general alignment withfastening material portion 51. The fastening material portions 51, 52can be attached by any suitable method, such as stitching or adhesives,and can be arranged in any suitable configuration. Alternatively, metalsnaps can be utilized to secure the outer tongue portion 16, eitheralone or in combination with hook and loop fastening material describedabove. Any suitable method, or combination of methods, can be used tosecure the outer tongue portion 16 to prevent movement of the outertongue portion 16 relative to the shoe upper 12 while the shoe 10 isbeing worn by the wearer.

[0045] The lower surface of sole 14 can have any suitable texture. FIGS.5a, 5 b and 5 c illustrate various possible textures of the lowersurface of sole 14, although the invention is not limited to thetextures described or shown. FIG. 5a illustrates the lower surface 13 aof the sole 14 having a smooth texture. The smooth texture allows thewearer to pivot on the balls of the feet on a flat surface, such as agym floor, as would be done when practicing various marital arts sports.In sports such as kick boxing or karate, the bottom of the feet willstrike the selected target, typically a kicking bag or a human opponent.Advantageously, the smooth texture of FIG. 5a is suitable for contactwith both a floor surface and a human opponent or partner. In FIG. 5b,the lower surface 13 b of the sole 14 is textured to provide a shoe 10suitable for walking and running activities. FIG. 5c illustrates thelower surface of the sole 14 having a plurality of gripping protrusions79 to provide a shoe 10. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5c is particularlysuitable for use in outdoor field sports, such as soccer.

[0046] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the lower surface 13 a,13 b, or 13 c of the sole 14 is formed at least partly of crepe rubber.Advantageously, a crepe rubber sole is soft enough to reduce thelikelihood of scraping or otherwise injuring a human opponent or partnerwho comes into contact with the sole, yet durable enough to allow theshoe to be worn on the street, as opposed to primarily on a gym floor.

[0047] As previously indicated, the shoe 10 provides advantages to thewearer when the wearer is engaged in activities which involve kicking,as the shoe 10 can have a limited number of protruding exterior featuresor sharp edges that could possibly injure an opponent. The padded tongue18 provides protection to the top of the wearer's foot when this area isimpacted, such as by kicking a bag or an opponent. The outer tongueportion 16 advantageously protects an opponent from impact withfastening structure, such as the knotted lace 36 of a preferredembodiment. The padding material in the inner tongue portion 15 furtherprotects the top of the wearer's foot on impact from the lacing andknots in the lacing.

[0048] If the tongue of an athletic shoe slips to one side, the shoe canbe uncomfortable for the wearer. The above-described arrangement ofsecuring the outer tongue portion 16 to the inner tongue portion 15 andthe shoe upper 12 also provides the advantage of maintaining the paddedtongue 18 in an optimum center position, if desired.

[0049] A second embodiment of the padded shoe of the present inventionis shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The shoe 60 includes a shoe upper 62 adjoinedto a sole 64. The shoe upper 62 can have any suitable configuration,including that which is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and that which isdescribed in reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The lowersurface of sole 64 can have any suitable texture, such as thosedescribed in FIGS. 5a-c in connection with the embodiment shown inFIG. 1. At least a portion of the perimeter of the sole 64 can bechamfered to provide a smooth arcuate edge. The shoe upper 62 includesupper edges 66 which can form a collar into which a foot can beinserted. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the shoe upper 62 includes paddingmaterial 65 disposed therein which is located throughout the shoe upper62. The padding material 65 can have varying thicknesses throughout theshoe upper 62, and can be distributed to provide protection to the areasof the foot that can be subjected to impact due to kicking maneuvers orother activities placing stress on the foot, as was described above inconnection with the shoe 10 shown in FIG. 1. The shoe 60 includes apadded tongue 68 which serves to protect the top of the wearer's foot.The padded tongue 68 can have any suitable shape. The lower end ofpadded tongue 68 is preferably fixedly attached to the shoe upper 62 andpreferably has an upper end extending at least to the upper edge 66 ofshoe upper 62, although the invention is not limited in that regard. Theshoe 60 can have any suitable resilient material which can closelysurround the foot of the wearer. For example, the shoe 60 can includeelongate portions of resilient material 69 longitudinally positioned onthe shoe 60. The illustrated embodiment includes two portions ofresilient material 69. Each portion of resilient material 69 has a firstedge preferably fixedly attached to at least a portion of the side edgeof the padded tongue 68 and a second edge preferably attached to theshoe upper 62. The padded tongue 68 can be outwardly distended from theshoe upper 62 by stretching the resilient portion 69 in order to allowinsertion of the wearer's foot.

[0050] A third embodiment of the shoe of the present invention is shownin FIG. 10. The shoe 80 includes a shoe upper 82 adjoined to a sole 84.The shoe upper 82 includes a padded tongue 77 which has a lower endconnected to the shoe upper 82 and a free upper end 77 a, shown mostclearly in FIGS. 11 and 12. The sole 84 can have any texture on thelower surface, however the sole 84 preferably includes a plurality ofgripping agents 79, as previously discussed and shown in FIG. 5c. Theshoe upper 82 can have any suitable configuration. The shoe upper 82preferably includes a fastening structure 85. In the illustratedembodiment, the fastening structure 85 includes a conventional lacingarrangement having two rows of oppositely disposed eyelets 88, and alace 86 threaded through the eyelets 88 and tied in a conventionalfashion.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 11, padding material 81 is located throughoutthe shoe upper 82. The padding material 81 can be any suitable material,as described above in reference to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 6.Preferably, the padding material is closed-cell foam material, althoughit can be any padding material known in the art. The padding material 81can have a greater thickness on those points of the shoe upper 82 whichcover the foot of the wearer at points of possible impact, as in theembodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 6.

[0052] Referring again to FIG. 10, the shoe 80 preferably includes ashin guard 92 extending upward from the shoe upper 82 so as to be incontact with and substantially cover the shin of the wearer. The shinguard 92 is preferably configured to closely engage with the shin of thewearer, and can include a convex surface 75 and a concave surface 76.The shin guard 92 is preferably detachably connected to any suitableportion of the shoe upper 82 and, in the illustrated embodiment, isdetachably connected to padded tongue 77. The shin guard 92 can beconstructed of any suitable material, such as leather, canvas, orplastic. The shin guard 92 preferably includes padding material 97. Thepadding material 97 can be any suitable padding material, such as closedcell foam rubber, and should preferably have a sufficient hardness anddensity to maintain the shape of the elongate member 92 withoutsignificant distortion.

[0053] The invention contemplates a variety of structures which can beutilized to secure the shin guard 92 to the padded tongue 77. FIG. 12illustrates the shin guard 92 partially detached from the padded tongue77. In the illustrated embodiment, synthetic material portions 87, 89which adhere when pressed together, such as Velcro , are affixed toaligning surfaces of the shin guard 92 and padded tongue 77 so that theshin guard can extend generally vertically upward from the shoe 80. Theshin guard 92 can also be secured to padded tongue 77 using mated snaps78, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0054] Referring again to FIGS. 10 and 11, the shin guard 92 can includeat least one strap 94 which secures the shin guard 92 to the leg of thewearer. The strap 94 can be a single piece, as illustrated, or canconsist of separate portions attached to the sides of the shin guard 92.The strap 94 can also extend laterally through shin guard 92. The strap94 preferably includes a fastening structure to secure the strap 94either to itself or to the shin guard 92. The fastening structure shouldpreferably allow the strap 94 to be selectively adjustable toappropriately fit the leg of the wearer. In the illustrated embodiment,the opposite ends of strap 94 include mated portions fastening material103, 105, such as Velcro®, attached to the front and back surfaces ofthe strap 94. Any suitable securement method can be used to secure theshin guard 92 to the leg of the wearer.

[0055] As is shown in FIG. 11, the front surface 76 can include a recess96 which is approximately the same width as the strap 94. The strap 94can be seated in the recess 96, and is preferably adhered or otherwiseattached. The recess 94 preferably has a depth approximately equal tothe thickness of the strap 94, so that when strap 94 is seated in therecess 97, the surface of strap 94 is in approximate alignment with thefront surface 76 of the shin guard 92.

[0056] It should be understood that the examples and embodimentsdescribed herein are for illustrative purposes only and that variousmodifications or changes in light thereof will be obvious to personsskilled in the art, and that such modifications or changes are to beincluded within the spirit and purview of this application. Moreover,the invention can take other specific forms without departing from thespirit or essential attributes thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A padded shoe, comprising: a shoe upper adjoinedto a sole; securement structure connected to said shoe upper, saidsecurement structure being securable to maintain said shoe on a foot ofa wearer of said shoe; and a shin guard attached to said shoe.
 2. Theshoe of claim 1, wherein said shin guard is detachably attachable tosaid shoe.
 3. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising at least one strapconnected to said shin guard to engage the shin guard to the lower legof the wearer, said at least one strap including a fastening structureto secure said shin guard to the lower leg of the wearer.
 4. The shoe ofclaim 3, wherein said fastening structure comprises mated portions offastening material affixed to said at least one strap.
 5. The shoe ofclaim 3, wherein a front surface of said shin guard includes a recessapproximately the same width of said strap which is adapted to receivesaid strap when said shin guard is secured to the lower leg of thewearer.
 6. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising a tongue, whereinsaid shin guard is attached to said tongue.
 7. The shoe of claim 5,wherein said shin guard is detachably attached to said tongue andfurther comprising engagement structure to secure said shin guard tosaid tongue.
 8. The shoe of claim 7, wherein said engagement structurecomprises mated portions of fastening material.
 9. The shoe of claim 8,wherein said engagement structure comprises mated snaps.
 10. The shoe ofclaim 1, wherein said shin guard includes padding material disposedtherein.
 11. The shoe of claim 10, wherein said padding materialcomprises closed-cell foam padding.
 12. The shoe of claim 1, furthercomprising a padded tongue.
 13. The shoe of claim 12, wherein saidpadded tongue comprises a lower padded tongue portion and an uppertongue portion.
 14. The shoe of claim 12, wherein said padding materialcomprises closed-cell foam padding.
 15. The shoe of claim 1, whereinsaid shoe upper has padding material therein, wherein said paddingmaterial is positioned within said shoe upper to generally correspond toat least one location on the foot of the wearer, said locationsincluding at least one of the group consisting of the forward dorsalregion, the instep, the lateral and posterior aspects of the heel, theleft and right forward lateral aspects of the foot, and the ankleportion.
 16. The shoe of claim 15, wherein said padding materialcomprises closed-cell foam padding.